Scholz receives Brazil's President Lula for government consultations in the Chancellery
Lula 's stance on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has met with a lack of understanding from Kiev's Western supporters. The left-wing president blames Ukraine for the war and accuses Kiev's allies of prolonging the fighting by supplying weapons. Lula rejects sanctions against Russia. At the UN General Debate in September, he called for an end to the war in Ukraine through "dialog".
Scholz, on the other hand, always emphasizes Ukraine's right to self-defence against Russian aggression and stresses that there should be no "dictated peace".
Brazil and Germany are also not on the same page when it comes to assessing the war between Israel and the radical Islamic group Hamas. Lula had equated the Israeli army's military response to the atrocities committed by Hamas during its attack on Israel in October with "terrorism", while his party spoke of a "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
"We do not share this position," emphasized Hebestreit on Monday. "At this point, we remain of different opinions." The German government is firmly on Israel's side in the conflict and always emphasizes Israel's right to self-defence.
The planned Mercosur free trade agreement is also likely to be discussed at the meeting in Berlin. The EU's agreement with the South American Mercosur states of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay has been fully negotiated since 2019, but has not yet been ratified. The main dispute is over environmental requirements for South American farmers. France, Austria and other countries are pushing for strict requirements to protect their own farmers.
Germany is pushing for the agreement to be ratified quickly. Scholz had already made it clear at his dinner with Lula on Sunday "how important it is to conclude such an agreement, and my impression was that this fell on open ears", said Hebestreit.
After the government consultations, Scholz and Lula will hold a press conference in the afternoon (3.40 pm). They will then hold talks with business representatives (4.30 p.m.).
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Source: www.stern.de
